Report: Howard Mittman Departs Condé Nast | Industry Notes

Howard Mittman resigns.

Condé Nast’s chief business officer, Howard Mittman, has resigned after a decade with the company, according to reports.

Citing a Condé spokesman, WWDreports that Mittman will depart August 11th to serve as the “business-side head at a large, digital-only property.”

After spending several years as VP and publisher at Wired, Mittman was shifted to publisher and chief revenue officer at GQ in 2014 before being promoted, earlier this year, to oversee all of the company’s men’s titles as part of a broader reorganization that partially phased out the publisher role at the company — with the exceptions of The New Yorker and Vogue notwithstanding.

The men’s titles, according to WWD, will now fall under the purview of Kim Kelleher, who currently oversees Condé’s women’s titles. Kelleher will evidently continue to report to chief business officer and president of revenue Jim Norton as the company seeks a replacement to serve in Kelleher’s now-previous role.

A new owner for the East Bay Express.

Oakland, CA-based Telegraph Media has purchased a controlling stake in local alt-weekly East Bay Express from former majority owner Jay Youngdahl, expanding its portfolio of print and digital publications serving the region.

The company, which publishes Oakland and Alameda magazines, among others, is owned by former East Bay Express editor Stephen Buel and his wife, Judith Gallman, who have held a minority stake in the Express since 2007, according to a release.

The new owners intend to continue to publish the Express as a “separate and editorially unique publication,” according to an announcement attributed to the Express editorial staff, which notes that “the total staff size of the two companies is expected to remain the same or grow.”

Not staying on for the Express‘s next chapter, however, will be its editor, Nick White, who took over the weekly a little over a year ago after joining from the Sacramento News & Review.

“The good news: These new owners care deeply about EBX, the East Bay and journalism,” White tweeted Wednesday evening. “The other news: I won’t be part of the new East Bay Express team.”

Returning to fill White’s role will be Kathleen Richards, who worked at the Express from 2007 to 2014, most recently as co-editor, before spending two years as managing editor of Seattle’s The Stranger.

Hearst bets big on The Pioneer Woman.

When the Walmart-exclusive 150,000-copy run of the debut issue of Hearst Magazines’ latest launch, The Pioneer Woman, sold out in a week, Hearst printed an additional 100,000 copies to meet demand.

A month later, Hearst isn’t hedging any bets for the magazine’s second go-around.

The company announced Thursday an increase to 500,000 copies for the Ree Drummond title’s follow-up issue — expected to arrive in September — alongside expanded distribution to a litany of nationwide chains including Barnes & Noble, Costco, CVS, Kroger, and Hudson News, among several others.

Hearst Magazines president Michael Clinton hailed The Pioneer Woman as the latest fruit of a now-proven strategy of partnering with strong personalities to launch successful new magazine brands. The Ree Drummond title follows in the footsteps of similar launches by Hearst — O, The Oprah Magazine, Food Network Magazine, and HGTV Magazine — and others, like Meredith’s Rachael Ray Every Day and The Magnolia Journal, which has seen similar distribution increases after a successful initial run.

“Partnerships are a key element of Hearst Magazines’ strategy and success, and we’re excited to be able to bring The Pioneer Woman Magazine to even more fans around the country,” said Clinton in a statement.

For every success story, however, there are cautionary tales — like Dr. Oz The Good Life, which lost most of its staff to layoffs earlier this year amid an ongoing transition to a more “bookazine”-type format.

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W staffs up.

W magazine is expanding its fashion department, the Condé Nast title revealed Thursday, announcing a handful of new appointments.

Notable names joining the ranks are Love magazine founder Katie Grand, named contributed fashion creative director, and Sara Moonves, who has been hired as style director. Moonves moves over to W from Vogue, where she was a contributing fashion editor. Prior to joining Condé Nast, Moonves was senior fashion editor at T: The New York Times Style Magazine.

Additionally, Rickie De Sole, who has been with the title since joining from Vogue in 2015, is promoted to fashion director. De Sole’s promotion is effective immediately, while Grand and Moonves will begin making their mark on the Stefano Tonchi-helmed book this Fall.